Four blasts kill at least 10, hurt over 80 in northwest

PESHAWAR: Two bombs exploded in a market in the Frontier capital of Peshawar on Thursday, killing six people, and gunmen on rooftops ambushed police as they arrived at the scene, police said.

A short while later, a suicide bomber attacked a paramilitary checkpost in another part of the city, killing two soldiers and wounding three.

‘He was on foot and as we saw him, he ran and blew himself up when he got close to us,’ Wasiullah, a paramilitary soldier wounded in the attack, told Reuters as he arrived at a hospital.

The attack was soon followed by a huge bomb blast and gunfire was heard on the streets of Dera Ismail Khan, police said.

Three were killed and seven injured after a bomb planted in the city’s town hall exploded, police told DawnNews.

Peshawar bazaar attack

The first two bombs were planted on motorbikes in the vicinity of Qissa Khwani (Storytellers) Bazaar in Peshawar’s old city and caused extensive damage.

Six people were killed and about 70 wounded, provincial government minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour told Reuters.

The first blast triggered a huge fire in Kabari Bazaar, which lies in a narrow lane and destroyed at least seven cars, witnesses said.

Minutes later a second bomb went off in another market across the road sparking another fire and gutting up to 18 electronics shops, AFP reported.

‘Two separate timed bombs were planted on motorbikes, which exploded in quick succession,’ said Shafqat Malik, a senior police investigator.

Soon afterwards, gunmen on rooftops began firing at police in lanes below.

Television showed policemen firing back while colleagues strapped on bullet-proof vests.

Police later said two gunmen had been killed and two suspects detained.

‘We’re carrying out searches as others could be hiding,’ city police chief Sifwat Ghayyur told reporters.

55 killed in bombing near Lahore ISI bas

NASIR JAFFRY AND AGENCIES||www.telegraphindia.com

Lahore, May 27: Gunmen targeted the ISI’s provincial headquarters in Lahore today, setting off a car bomb that killed 55 people in what the government said was revenge for an offensive against the Taliban.

Early this morning, five heavily-armed militants drove their Toyota car towards the buildings where the ISI and police offices were located just off Lahore’s Mall Road. But as heavily-armed guards prevented them from going any further, they rammed their car into the barriers on the road leading to the buildings.

The terrorists exchanged fire with the guards and then set off a deafening explosion which, some witnesses said, felt like an earthquake. The blast totally flattened the police rescue office building and damaged the ISI office. Police chief Pervaiz Rathore said over 100kg of explosives had been used in the blast.

Though the police confirmed only 24 had died, the privately-run Ehdi Ambulance Service put the toll at 55. Hospital officials said 13 of the dead were policemen and seven ISI officials. A total of 390 people, including policemen, women and children were injured in the blast.

Interior minister Rehman Malik said the attack could be in retaliation to the military offensive in the Swat Valley against Taliban militants.

The blast comes a day after Taliban spokesperson Maulvi Mohammad Omar threatened attacks across Pakistan if the military operation in Swat was not stopped immediately. However, no group immediately took responsibility for the blast.

It also comes after General David Petraeus, head of the US Central Command, was in Islamabad for meetings yesterday with government and military leaders.

Lahore has seen several bomb attacks over the past couple of years. In March 30, attackers stormed the Manawan Police Academy on the city’s outskirts, killing ten recruits. That attack, claimed by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, came weeks after gunmen attacked Sri Lanka’s cricket team, killing six police guards and a driver.

Reports said some suspects picked up in connection with the attack on the Lankans were inside the ISI office when the blast took place.

The US needs Pakistani action against militants to help defeat al Qaida and disrupt support for the Taliban in Afghanistan. It has welcomed the Swat offensive.

Security officials said a senior intelligence officer was killed and the agency office might have been the target.

Top city official Khusro Pervez Khan said 35 people had been killed and 390 wounded. Rescuers were searching through the rubble and the toll could rise, another city official said.

Officials had warned militants might launch attacks in retaliation for the offensive in Swat, where the military says about 15,000 soldiers face 4,000-5,000 militants.

President Asif Ali Zardari called top officials to a meeting to review security, and said the militants were on the run and were trying to create panic, his office said.

In Swat, soldiers had made “considerable progress” in securing Mingora which should be cleared in two or three days, the military said, adding 12 militants and one soldier had been killed in the previous 24 hours. The government says about 1,100 militants and about 60 soldiers have been killed.

“It is a difficult operation because we have to make a house-to-house search. We have cleared some of the area in the city.”

The military says the city is surrounded, most of the militants’ ammunition dumps are destroyed and their supply routes cut off.

The BBC’s Shoaib Hassan, in Islamabad, says it is the most important battle yet in the army’s offensive against the Taliban in Swat.

A swift victory would bolster public support for a greater fight against the militants, our correspondent adds.

Exodus

A Taliban spokesman confirmed that the military had entered Mingora, but denied that any militants had been killed.

The army says it has cut off the militants’ supply routes

The spokesman also said the Taliban would fight the security forces to their last breath.

Residents say the militants are still in control of the city.

Nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced by this month’s fighting in the north-western region, and about two million since last August, the United Nations refugee agency says.

On Friday, the UN appealed for $543m in humanitarian aid to help those displaced by the conflict.

Pakistan’s army began an offensive against the Taliban on 2 May after the peace deal broke down and the militants began expanding their area of influence.

A recent investigation by the BBC suggested that less than half of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), which contains Swat Valley, and the neighbouring Federally Administered Tribal Areas is under full government control.

In Swat, the army says that about 15,000 members of the security forces are fighting between 4,000 and 5,000 militants.

It says more than 1,000 militants and more than 50 soldiers have been killed since the offensive began.

‘Al Qaeda clearly headquartered in Pakistan’

Aziz Haniffa in Washington, DC

rediffNEWS

May 22, 2009 09:47 IST
Last Updated: May 22, 2009 10:27 IST

The Al Qaeda [Images] network is not located in Afghanistan, but clearly headquartered in Pakistan, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen [Images] told Congress Thursday, and warned that if the Taliban [Images] takes over Afghanistan again, it would mean the return of al Qaeda to Afghanistan to plan and plot attacks against the US reminiscent of 9/11.

Appearing before the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mullen stated categorically, “Al Qaeda is not located in Afghanistan–they are headquartered clearly in Pakistan,” and explained, “What I have watched over the last couple of years is this growing integration between Al Qaeda and the Taliban and the various networks of the Taliban–whether it’s Haqqani, or Masood or Hetmakyar and that has alarmed me in its growth and its integration.”

“And, it’s that quite frankly, is also extent in Pakistan, which is moving toward Islamabad [Images],” he said. “So, clearly, with the Al Qaeda resident in Pakistan, we can’t send troops in there to do anything about that–I understand that.”

Mullen said that “the Taliban may not be some monolithic or homogenous body in make-up or ideology. But they do have governing ambitions. It’s not just about instilling fears or spreading violence. They want Afghanistan back.”

“We can’t let them or their Al Qaeda cohorts have it,” he asserted. “We can’t permit the return of the very same safe havens from which the attacks on 9/11 were planned and resourced. And, yet, we can’t deny that our success in that regard may push them deeper into Pakistan.”

Mullen said that this is why it is imperative “why the investment in, support of, a relationship with the people of Pakistan, the military of Pakistan is so important, because in the long-run, the only way we are going to get at that is with them and through them, and that’s going to take some time.”

He said that “there is no corner of the world–none–that concerns me more than this region Afghanistan and Pakistan are two very different countries, but very much linked not only to each other, but inextricably to the national security of the United States. Indeed, our national interests are tied to this region, perhaps more than to any other right now.”

Mullen said ever since he took over as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, his time had been consumed “intently focused on the challenges in this region and on developing personal and professional relationships with leaders there whose decisions will remain indispensable to our common desire for security and stability.”

Taking a hefty swipe at the armchair pundits and analysts at think tanks here, not to mention members of Congress, Mullen said. “Through the years, if I learned nothing else, it is that nothing that we do here in Washington will matter much in the end if it doesn’t reflect our earnest desire to reestablish lost trust, and regain lost opportunities to prevent either nation from being crushed in the grip of extremism.”

“You don’t need to look very hard at the headlines to see that we are not making enough headway in that regard,” he added.

During the interaction that followed with lawmakers, Mullen acknowledged that he couldn’t say for sure if the infusion of US troops into Afghanistan wouldn’t destabilize Pakistan by pushing the insurgents into Balochistan.

He said he has discussed this at length with the Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani “and we all share the concerns for that.”

But, he argued that “where I am comfortable is that is that at least we are planning for it and having some expectation will allow us to address that and that’s going on.”

However, Mullen reiterated, “Can I 100 percent be certain that won’t destabilize Pakistan? I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t think it will, because we are aware of it and Pakistan is further away from being totally destabilized than a lot of people realize.”

“The military and civilian leadership recognizes this potential and so we are addressing it ahead of time,” he added.

ISLAMABAD: The army has appealed to the people of Swat to help it to identify terrorists who are trying to flee in disguise because they are being encircled.

‘We have confirmed reports that these Taliban terrorists are shaving off their beard, trimming their hair and fleeing the area,’ military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas told Dawn on Friday.

‘We ask the people of Swat to identify militants and inform security personnel at the nearest checkpost.’

He said the youths forcibly recruited by terrorists had started deserting them because troops were inflicting heavy casualties and the operation was gaining momentum.

He said that security forces were now closing in on Mingora and Matta from three directions. Militants’ bases in Peochar valley have been attacked and efforts are being made to target their leadership.

‘We expect to receive an overwhelming support from the people when the army will start liberating the area and provide them the desired level of comfort and security.’

Maj-Gen Abbas expressed the hope that the people would not only support security forces but also act against terrorists after having suffered immensely at the hands of the militants.

‘This is how we are going to take the operation ahead. Brutalities of the terrorists have now started coming out.’

Referring to ruthlessness of Matta Taliban Commander Ibne Amin, the military spokesman said that militants had beheaded prayer leader Zahid Khan and killed three women for providing water to troops.

55 MILITANTS KILLED

According to an ISPR press release on the operation, 55 militants and three security personnel were killed and 11 others injured on Thursday and Friday in Swat and adjoining areas.

Militant commander Dawa Noor who was a member of the TNSM shura and was involved in terrorist activities in Sultanwas and Daggar has been arrested.

Before the operation was launched in Buner, Noor was reported to be inciting people against security forces on FM radio and loudspeaker.

He had helped the Taliban to take over Buner. According to the ISPR, 13 militants were killed and one of their vehicles was destroyed when they attacked a security checkpost in Peochar.

Forty-two militants were killed and 15 vehicles destroyed in Kalpanai and Sultanwas. One soldier was killed and three others were injured in the clashes.

Troops have set up checkposts between Matta and Bar Bamkhe. Security forces reached the northwest of Matta after clearing Giga and Jura areas of militants. Two compounds of the Taliban were destroyed in the village of Adai, south of Ramotai.

Shaving for survival?

Shyema Sajjad questions the Taliban and their latest tactic for survival.

Latest reports claim that the Taliban are shaving off their beards to escape the operation in Swat. The Taliban have maintained that the beards are a sign of being a devoted and true Muslim. Perhaps that is why the Afghani Taliban had gone to the extent of measuring the beards of normal citizens out on the streets of Kabul. Perhaps that is why beard trimmers have been jailed by the ‘religious police’. Perhaps that is also why the Taliban have vandalised barber shops in Buner and threatened barbers to stop cutting hair and trimming beards. So why bring in the razors now?

Already listed as the modern-day barbarians, these men have now taken to shaving off their supposed ‘identity’ in order to escape without being noticed by the Pakistan military. Clever tactic but is it worth shedding off their religious beliefs for? Or do their beliefs allow them to go clean shaven if it’s about the question of their survival? If that is the case then they are no different than the society they target – double standards persist either way.

How come the rules have not been relaxed then if a woman is dying and has a doctor at hand but one who can’t do much to save her because he is a man? Women have died of curable ailments just because male doctors were not allowed to touch them. Does that not come into the debate of survival? Or are women exempted from this exemption list?

The government and NGOs are having a hard time keeping track of the displaced people because now they don’t know who could be a militant and who is a refugee. Are beards the only thing that can determine a refugee from a militant? If so, then the military has an even bigger task ahead of themselves.

More than 1,000 militants killed in operation: Malik

Pakistani soldiers stand guard on road at Gulabad, in the troubled Malakand agency, on May 16, 2009. – AFP

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government urged on Sunday people stranded in Swat to flee whenever they get a chance, as security forces battled Taliban militants in one of their strongholds in the valley. More than 1,000 militants had been killed in the offensive in Swat, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters. There was no independent confirmation of the toll. The military has reported a similar toll for the militants and has said 48 soldiers have been killed. The offensive in the one-time tourist valley, 130 km northwest of Islamabad, has also forced at least 1.17 million people from their homes, the UN refugee agency said. It has urged the world to respond ‘massively’ to the humanitarian crisis. The Taliban hold Mingora, Swat’s main town, and many civilians are believed to be still there. ‘I appeal to the people of Mingora and other parts which are under aggression, as soon as they get an opportunity, the curfew is relaxed, they should come out,’ Malik said. Malik also said the security forces were hunting for the leaders of the Taliban in Swat. ‘Those leaders, those commanders, who are controlling the Taliban, obviously we’re going to hit them. We’re not going to spare them,’ he said. ‘You’ll hear good news soon.’ About 15,000 members of the security forces are fighting between 4,000 and 5,000 militants in Swat, the military says. The military says it has inflicted no civilian casualties as soldiers have been attacking militants in the mountains, not in built-up areas where there are civilians. But it has said it will go after the Taliban in Mingora and other towns. Military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said security forces had moved into the town of Matta, where the Taliban leader in the valley, Fazlullah, was believed to be hiding. Abbas said he had no details of the fighting in Matta. Swat residents said some civilians were still in the town. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Saturday the flood of people who have poured out of Swat was one of the most dramatic displacement crises in the world in recent times. The United Nations has registered 1.17 million people, though many are believed not to have bothered to register. They are joining about 565,000 displaced by earlier fighting in the northwest. Malik, while urging people to flee from Swat’s main town, said displaced people could return to some other areas in the valley that troops had cleared. The military offensive against Taliban fighters in the northwest Pakistan has killed more than 1,000 militants, a top official said on Sunday after visiting a relief camp hosting thousands of people displaced by the battle. Malik told a news conference in Mardan that a few pockets of resistance remain in Swat, urging internally displaced people to return home in areas up to Khawaza-khela. He said the security forces have also brought Buner and Lower Dir district under control and will try to complete the operation as soon as possible. He said that talks are possible if the Taliban lay down arms but their commanders will not be spared. The military has warned that some militants are trying to flee as well, some after shaving off their beards to blend in with the refugees.

ISLAMABAD: Claiming significant achievements in the ongoing military operation against Taliban in Malakand division, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday confirmed the presence of hardcore foreign militants fighting alongside the Taliban against security forces.

ISPR spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told reporters during the daily press briefing that 47 terrorists had been killed in various areas during the last 24 hours. Maj Gen Abbas said some ‘key’ foreign intelligence agencies were also involved in the insurgency.

He said there were around 4,000 fighters in Swat, at least 10 percent of whom were not locals.

Blast targets cyber cafe in NWFP capital, 11 killed

A powerful bomb targeting a cyber cafe in a busy commercial area of Peshawar in NWFP went off on Saturday, killing at least 11 people, including four children and two women, and injuring 32 others.

A high intensity explosive device hidden in a car parked in the old quarters of the northwestern city exploded when the area was crowded with people. A school bus carrying 15 children was among a dozen vehicles hit by the blast.

Police officials said a cyber cafe was the target of the blast as its owner had received a letter from pro-Taliban militants warning him to close down the establishment. The car, which was packed with about 40 to 50 kg of explosives, was parked outside the cyber cafe at the time of the blast.

Local residents said the owner of the cyber cafe had not taken the letter seriously.

No group claimed responsibility for the blast, which caused panic in the city. The blast also triggered a fire that destroyed many cars and shops.

Pro-Taliban militants have threatened to carry out suicide attacks in retaliation of the ongoing army operations in Swat and Buner and the drone attacks in the tribal areas.

Three persons were arrested immediately after the blast and taken by police to an undisclosed location for questioning.

Pakistani Teenage rape victim records statement

Thirteen-year-old rape victim Nasima Lubano recorded her statement in the court of District and Session Judge (South) Faheem Ahmed Siddiqi on Friday.

Two types of statements were recorded during proceedings: the examination in chief which was conducted by Deputy District Public Prosecutor (DDPP) Abdul Maroof, and a cross-examination conducted by Defence Counsel (DC) SM Iqbal Shah.

Revealing her plight, Lubano, a resident of district Ubaro, said that two men, Abdul Sattar and Mohammed Anwer Hussain, raped her on January 27, 2007. She said that later, on she was taken to a courtyard where nine other people abused her and physically humiliated her. Hearing her cries, two men, Jamaluddin and Mohammed Sardar, barged into the courtyard, allowing her the opportunity to escape, albeit naked, and reach home, where she narrated the entire gruesome tale to her parents. Lubano’s medical examination and treatment was conducted the same day, while the very next day, she recorded her statement under section 164 of the criminal procedure, and her thumb impressions were taken.

After the DDPP had completed questioning, the court asked the DC to initiate cross-examination, however DC Shah said that he was not prepared for cross-examination and needed time. The court censured the DC, stating that he should have come prepared, but adjourned the hearing till May 20. It is worth remembering that the DC was only recently appointed to the case. He is the third lawyer to take up the case. Nasima Lubano was allegedly gang-raped by 11 men, of which three, Abdul Sattar, Morozado and Munawar Hasan, are still at large. Another accused, Long Khan, expired during the jail trial. The other seven accused include: Shahzado, Abdul Jabbar, Anwar Hussain, Khadim Hussain, Ali Hasan, Shah BAig and Bashir Ahmed.

Hamza Lubano had lodged a report at the police station Ubaro under section 354-A, 387-a, 337-F(10 147, 148, 149 of the Pakistan Penal code, FIR 07/2007, stating that a dispute took place between Abdul Sattar and him on a children-related matter, upon which Sattar threatened to violate his honour so that “he could no longer live in society”.

Labano’s relative reportedly kidnapped the daughter of Anwar Khan some time back; and in order to avenge her honour, Anwar Khan and his ten accomplices abducted Nasima, and took her to Sattar’s residence, where ten persons allegedly raped her. The sexual assault by ten persons has also been proved by the medical report.

The culprits produced in the court were seen in a very gentle gesture and some of them bear the sign of black spot in the fore head as a mark of offering regular namaz even five times in a day. But these type of inhumane activities like rape, looting, murdering etc. are not treated as a very sinful and offensive by them. They go to jammat, shout – Naraye Taqbir, Allah ho Akbar and do the all dreadful. Such pungent Islam against the opposition or may be against the Kaffirs are nothing but a stigma in Islam to stab the humanity. Extreme exclusion of all these may clear the obstacles to attain a Progressive Pakistan.

[ What about Humanity in Talibani Islam ?

HUNDREDS of thousands of internally displaced persons are fleeing the strife-torn areas of Swat, Buner and other parts of the Malakand division while reportedly thousands more remain caught in the crossfire between the TTP insurgents and the military. The plight of these refugees constitutes a humanitarian crisis that may prove to be the litmus test of how far the government and citizenry support those who are the first and most immediate victims of the horror unleashed by the extremists. Unlike the overwhelming outpouring of sympathy and aid after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the current crisis is marked by a lack of either material support or societal solidarity for the IDPs. Yet they are no less deserving of assistance and compassion than the victims of the earthquake — perhaps more so, considering that natural disasters cannot be prevented but the current tragedy is a result of a crisis that is political in nature and as such man-made.

The aid required by the IDPs includes, most immediately, food, shelter, clothing and sanitation. In the longer-term — given the uncertain security situation in their hometowns — affected families will require rehabilitation through employment opportunities, education and absorption into society at large. The primary responsibility for this falls upon the state, for it is incumbent upon the government of the day to protect the life and livelihood of the citizenry. Moreover, only the state has sufficient resources and outreach for long-term rehabilitation. This does not mean, however, that civil society can be absolved. Citizens across the country who have so far not been directly affected by the Taliban’s activities must come to the aid of their brethren. This can be done through making financial and material contributions to private and governmental agencies that are working towards the IDPs’ welfare. Then, the issue of the refugees must be de-linked from ethnic and political concerns since these undermine societal solidarity and further intensify the misery of the IDPs. As citizens of Pakistan, the refugees have a right to protection and assistance offered by not just the state and but also fellow citizens. Most importantly, perhaps, civil society must lobby with the government and its institutions for a successful, speedy end to the military operation and a clean-up of militant-infested areas. The government’s writ must be extended immediately to all its territories, for slow or evasive action against the insurgents may not only give the latter time to regroup, it may also encourage other militant organisations with intentions to spread anarchy.

More than 834,000 displaced in Pakistan: UN

A group of internally displaced men and children vie for a handout of bananas at a UNHCR camp in the outskirts of Peshawar.—Reuters

Friday, 15 May, 2009 | 04:02 AM PST |www.dawn.com

YAR HUSSAIN CAMP: More than 834,000 civilians have fled recent fighting between security forces and the Taliban in the northwest of the country, the UN refugee chief said on Thursday.

The figure was a leap of more than 163,000 people registered since Wednesday, as desperate families piled onto trucks and tractors, or stream on foot out of the three worst-affected districts to hastily set up camps.

‘Some 834,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) have been registered so far. This is a massive, massive displacement in the world today,’ said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres.

‘Pakistan is passing through a difficult period. The international community should come forward and help Pakistan. I cannot give a figure but they need a lot of help,’ he added as he toured the Yar Hussain camp in Swabi district.

Ariane Rummery, spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency, said that 835,226 people had now registered since May 2.

They join another 500,000 people who fled bouts of fighting in the northwest last year, where extremist Taliban militants have been fighting to gain control and impose their brand of Islamic law.

With more than 1.3 million people displaced, Human Rights Watch has warned that Pakistan is facing its biggest movement of people since the partition of India in 1947, which led to the migration of millions.

Security forces have launched a fresh offensive in Swat, Lower Dir and Buner districts after the insurgents advanced to within 100km of Islamabad.—AFP

Even then, the Muslims in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh or everywhere in this Subcontinent or anywhere in this world believe in Pan Islamism and to rule over Non-Muslims ( say Kaffirs). What about this fragmented Islamic Brotherhood where Talibani Muslims are Killing Pakistani Muslims. Talibanis believe that they are the true and pure Muslims in this world on the basis of Quran. And now Quran has been mis-utilised by some Muslims to murder, loot, up-root innocent Muslims unfortunately. Such this flow of dangerous inspiration from Quran must be stopped or banned immediately. Here the questions of ‘Need to Reform Islam ‘ and ‘Reformative Interpretation of Holy Quran ‘ ( now grossly utilized in all un-holy activities) come into front line. Islam is no more a “Religion of Peace” or it contains “Absolute Humanity”. We people should think now the right direction to end up all anomalies in Pakistan and also in Islam.

We do not want restrictions to make it impossible to achieve the goals that we all share: Richard Boucher.—Reuters

By Anwar Iqbal
Friday, 15 May, 2009 | 02:41 AM PST |www.dawn.com

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration does not favour a Congressional legislation that would link US aid to Pakistan to the elimination of cross-borer attacks into India, a senior US official said on Thursday.

‘We do not want restrictions to make it impossible to achieve the goals that we all share,’ Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told a briefing in Washington.

The US House of Representatives recently called for such a condition for tripling the non-military aid to Pakistan.

The House version of the aid bill requires Pakistan to prevent cross-border attacks by Kashmiri militant groups to qualify for US assistance.

Although Washington does not favour linking aid to this condition, US officials say that the Obama administration did raise this issue in last week’s trilateral summit involving the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The talks led to a commitment by both Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent cross-border militant activities against each other and against other South Asian neighbours.

Mr Boucher, while opposing new restrictions on US aid to Pakistan, made it obvious that Washington expected Islamabad to stop all cross-border attacks into India.

Mr Boucher said that the United States had alerted Pakistan’s government

that it needed to eliminate the groups that carried out such attacks.

‘It is important for Pakistan to stop the groups that carry out terrorism in India, absolutely,’ he said.

Addressing South Asian journalists in Washington, he said: ‘Threat to Pakistan from terrorism comes not just from groups fighting in Afghanistan and the groups that are up in the tribal areas. The groups that attack India present a danger to Pakistan as well.’

He observed that the way such terrorist groups were carrying out attacks endangered Pakistan and its relations with India.

Mr Boucher, who served as Washington’s pointsman for South Asia for three years and is about to be replaced by another career diplomat Robert Blake, said this week’s actions in Swat and the adjacent valleys showed a greater commitment to combating terrorists.

‘We have seen this week not only stronger military operation but we have seen coalescing of political support,’ he said.

‘Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and some other leaders have come together and said, ‘we are going to fight together, we are going to work to clear the Swat valley of the militants and we are going to go forward with necessary assistance to people, to take care of the people displaced by the fighting and to start the rebuilding process.’’

Talking about the US role in resolving political crises in Pakistan, Mr Boucher told Dawn on Wednesday that while the United States played a supporting role, ‘all major decisions were taken by the Pakistanis, not Americans’.

He said the US initially opposed the campaign to restore Chief Justice because it was ‘also very political’.

The US, he said, supported the idea of an independent judiciary ‘without endorsing the politics involved’.

Hundreds protest Afghan civiliankillings

Kabul: Posted: Sunday , May 10, 2009 in Indian Express

About 1,000 students marched in the Afghan capital today to protest against the alleged killing of scores of civilians in US air strikes. Chanting “Death to America,” “Death to the biggest terrorist” and “long live Islam,” they held banners reading “The blood of the Farah martyrs will never dry” and “USA is the world’s biggest terrorist,” a photographer said.

Another banner demanded that “the murderers of more than 180 martyrs of Farah” go on trial, said the photographer, who estimated crowd numbered up to 1,000. The toll from air strikes and ground fighting with Taliban in Farah province’s Bala Buluk district nearly a week ago is disputed.

President Hamid Karzai has said that 125-130 civilians, including children and women, were killed in the strikes alone. Other Afghan officials have issued differing tolls, one as high as 167.

The US military acknowledges that “a number” died in the incident but says it is not clear if they died in the air strikes or ground battles. There is also evidence the Taliban may have killed some people themselves, it said in a statement on Saturday.

The Afghan tolls would make the Farah incident one of the deadliest for civilians in foreign military strikes since the US-led led the 2001 invasion that ousted the hardline Taliban regime.

Fighting flares in northwest Pak, 230 Taliban killed

………………………………………………………………………….

Posted: Sunday , May 10, 2009 in Indian Express

Islamabad: Over 230 Taliban were killed in fierce fighting with troops in Pakistan’s northwest tribal belt, the military said on Sunday, as President Asif Ali Zardari asserted that his government was determined to eliminate all terrorists holed up in the restive Swat valley.

Amid intensification in the military offensive, thousands of terrified civilians fled the scenic valley after relaxation of curfew, even as the authorities voiced fears that over a million people could be displaced due to fighting.

About 60 Taliban were killed when troops targeted militant positions in Swat, including the rebel strongholds of Peochar and Fizaghat, the military said in a statement.

About 60 Taliban were killed when troops targeted militant positions in Swat, including the rebel strongholds of Peochar and Fizaghat, the military said in a statement.

Another 150 militants were killed when security forces destroyed a Taliban training camp at Banai Baba in Shangla district. Bodies and weapons were found in the area, the statement said. Five more militants were killed in a clash in nearby Dir district.

At least 26 pro-Taliban fighters were killed and 16 more injured when troops repulsed an attack by militants on a security check post in Mohmand tribal region early this morning. Fourteen security personnel were also injured in the clashes that erupted when about 300 militants attacked a check post of the Mohmand Rifles.

Two soldiers were killed in operations in Shangla, while another soldier was injured in Dir.

It is not the time to protest US or INDIA. We have to be united in this Civil War of Pakistan and against Talibanization of Afghanistan. Talibans should be up-rooted both from Pak And Afghan. We too bleed for the innocent Civilians. But must defeat the Taliban Terrorism against Humanity.